Perdido 03

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Charter School Supporters Want Payback From Cuomo, Legislature

Charter school advocates are pushing for a bigger slice of the
education pie after Republicans took a larger share of lawmaking power
in Albany after last week’s election.

Pro-charter groups who spent millions on advertising, lobbying and
campaigns in the fall want favorable treatment from the Legislature and
Gov. Cuomo.

They seek to limit Mayor de Blasio’s control of charter schools, expand
funding and lift the cap on charter schools in New York, allowing for
the creation of more charter schools in the city and across the state.

...

There are currently 28 slots left for charter schools in New York City
and an additional 133 upstate. Charter boosters seek to raise or
eliminate those caps.

Charter advocates also want more money for charter schools set aside in
the state budget. The state’s current budget leaves out facilities
funding for many charter schools.

Pro-charter school groups pumped more than $4 million into a super PAC
called New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany that helped the Republicans win
the state Senate. Charter advocates also spent millions on lobbying.

That means no matter what Assembly Leader Shelly Silver does, this is going through.

Barring something unforeseen, like a major scandal involving a major charter player like Eva Moskowitz or Cuomo getting hauled out in handcuffs by the US attorney investigating him over the Moreland mess, the charter people are going to get what they paid for this legislative session.